Mario Party Superstars is the latest game in the Mario Party franchise, and it returns players to the roots of the series. After various experimental titles like Mario Party 10 and Super Mario Party, Mario Party Superstars brings back classic boards from the original three Mario Party games and 100 classic mini-games. It feels like a celebration of the franchise, but something is missing.
Mario Party Superstars launched with only five boards, one less than the title before it and three less than the original Mario Party. Each board is a remastered version of something from previous titles; two from Mario Party 1, two from Mario Party 2, and one from Mario Party 3. That leaves out the later half of the GameCube era, the entire Wii era, and all the Wii U titles. There are so many boards that could be added to Superstars to make it the ultimate version of Mario Party, and with Mario Kart 8 Deluxe receiving DLC it's time for Mario Party Superstars to get the same treatment.
Koopa's Tycoon Town
Fans of Mario Party 8 will recognize the iconic Koopa's Tycoon Town. Instead of following the usual Mario Party loop of collecting coins so the player can purchase a star, Koopa's Tycoon Town tasks players with investing in hotels. There are five hotels dotted across this board, and two locked behind Lucky Spaces. Once a certain amount of coins has been invested in the hotel it will level up, with the maximum level being a three-star hotel. The player with the most coins invested in a hotel gets the amount of stars that hotel is worth.
Koopa's Tycoon Town becomes a bigger competition than other boards as players invest and mess with other investments before battling in Mario Party's mini-games. They can easily gain stars and just as easily lose them while becoming a hotel tycoon. This mechanic helps the board stand out among the rest.
Shy Guy's Perplex Express
Another board from Mario Party 8 is Shy Guy's Perplex Express, where players board a train and race to the locomotive to buy stars. The train will keep moving and players have to run through the train cars, then once a player reaches Shy Guy they must traverse the top of the train cars and return to the start. Question spaces will cause the train cars to switch their order, meaning that someone who was in the first car may suddenly be in the last.
Shy Guy is not the only way to get stars on the express, as players can also land on the Lucky Space and be dropped off at PayDay Waystation. The Waystation is filled with coins, and at the end people can receive a star before returning to the express. Shy Guy's Perplex Express is a unique Mario Party board that has not been emulated since.
Bowser's Pinball Machine
Bowser's Pinball Machine is a standard Mario Party board with a unique aesthetic. Appearing in Mario Party DS, Bowser's Pinball Machine traps players inside a pinball machine where they must take the role of the silver balls. Everything that someone would expect to find is present; players get bounced around and thrust into all sorts of obstacles as they try to collect the most stars. Bowser's Pinball Machine has never made the jump to the home console, so seeing it with upgraded graphics and mechanics on the Nintendo Switch would give this board the love it deserves.
Waluigi's Island
Nintendo does not give Waluigi much love, but he was given his own island in Mario Party 3. The board is filled to the brim with traps that players need to avoid. The most stressful trap is the giant bomb, called Waluigi's Big Blast, that sits near the bottom of the board waiting to explode. If a player lands on a question mark space near the bomb then the number will go down, and once the number hits zero every player in the vicinity will lose all of their coins.
In the center of Waluigi's Island there is a rotating junction that allows players to move in four directions. The junction can be a means of escaping the bomb island, or when it's facing a certain way can also be the reason a player stays trapped. It is a perfect way to trap friends and family as players attempt to collect the most stars.
Castaway Bay
Castaway Bay was introduced in Mario Party 6, whisking players away to a colorful resort. A collection of islands dot this board, and two boats sat in the center waiting for players. Players have to reach Donkey Kong's boat to receive stars, but they can also end up on Bowser's Battle Yacht where he takes away a star or 20 coins. Bowser also launches cannonballs from his Yacht and if the player gets hit they lose a star. If players step on a Happening Space then the boats switch places, causing disruption for most players.
The Mario Party franchise is filled to the brim with quality boards for players to sink hours into. While there is no confirmation that Mario Party Superstars will receive any DLC, fans can only hope that there is something on the horizon. With Super Smash Bros. Ultimate and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe receiving a decent amount of DLC that turns them into the definitive versions of their respective franchises, Mario Party Superstars could follow suit.
Mario Party Superstars is available now on Nintendo Switch.